International Master Erik Kislik: Chess Trainer and Author

My goal is to train a wide range of people:
 

• Young players who are rapidly developing

• Young players who simply love the game of chess and want to learn about it

• Adult players who are struggling with development, with keen plans of getting better

• Adult players who want to learn through osmosis and get an insider's view into elite chess thinking

• Chess players who want to improve their logical skills through chess

• Chess players who want to learn to improve their use of computers

• Professional players who are looking for a second during tournaments

• Professional players who are looking for in-depth opening training outside of tournament play
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  Goals and expected outcomes among my students (it is pointless to guarantee x amount of elo points that your students will all gain, because you can't prove those claims and it looks awful for the trainer if his student regresses. What is much more realistic is to map out a series of areas of improvement and increase a student's knowledge base, which in most cases leads to clear improvement):
   

  • Improved endgame play, whereby effective plans are chosen in converting advantages and maximum resistance is put up in inferior endgames.

  • Improved opening play, whereby a clear idea is pursued with both colors to achieve a strategic aim that can be put into plain English. If one cannot explain which goals they seek to achieve in the opening, it might be time to choose a different opening.

  • Improved confidence and a lack of fear of higher-rated players, specifically those 200 or 300 points higher-rated.

  • Improved positional understanding, which manifests itself in all phases of the game, but most notably with respect to piece harmony in the middlgame.

  • Improved tactical awareness, on the basis of analyzing one's games properly and recognizing weaknesses that increase the probability of tactical solutions.